The book of Romans puts forth many important doctrines of the Christian faith and has been likened to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of
Independence. Embedded in Romans 12:6-8 is a list of seven spiritual gifts, however, it is
important to understand that "not all the gifts referred to elsewhere are specified in this
passage" . The gifts mentioned in this passage are: prophecy, service, teaching,
exhortation, giving, leading and mercy.
A foundation needs to be established as we enter into a study of the spiritual gifts
mentioned in Scripture. First of all, we must understand that God gives the gifts through
His grace and that each believer receives at least one. These gifts are different from the
natural abilities a person may possess in that they are supernaturally imparted to the
believer. The purpose of these gifts is "to make each believer a direct benefit to the Body
of Christ" . With that purpose in mind, God matches the believers gift to the "particular
service to which God calls him." No individual receives all of the gifts. The spreading
of the gifts forces the collaborative efforts of the Church to accomplish God's goals for it.
A person may need to experiment to determine their gift as Bruce notes: "every believer
needs to test his gift. If you feel that you have a certain gift and you are using it, you
ought to test it." After testing a gift, the believer should analyze their effectiveness to see
if it is truly a gift from God or not. All gifts serve a separate purpose and 1 Corinthians
12:31 shows us that certain gifts are greater than others. In that verse, Paul encourages us
to desire "greater gifts." Some have argued that it cannot "be said that any ...
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...urage, the givers should do so generously, the leaders should govern diligently, and
the merciful should show mercy cheerfully.
Works Cited
Bruce, F.F.. The Epistle of Paul to the Romans. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1983)
Barnhouse, Donald Gray. Romans IV. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1991)
Barclay, William.. The Letter to the Romans. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975)
Bray, Gerald. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. New Testament VI Romans. (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1998)
Newell, William R.. Romans Verse By Verse. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1938)
Murray, John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. The Epistle to the Romans. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1968)
McGee, J. Vernon. The Epistles. Romans. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991)
to an understanding of God’s dealing with humankind. In the english translations of the Bible,
This purpose is accomplished through the liturgical year by slowly, correctly, and thoroughly teaching us about Jesus’ life through the gospels.
The Roman Empire is credited with many things due partially to their ability to share, spread, and adapt culture. Rome was successful because it both conquered and shared the fruits of conquest with the conquered. Religion was one part of the culture that demonstrated the tolerance of Romans. For example, at the time of Jesus’ birth, paganism could be divided into three spheres: the official state religion, the traditional cults of the hearth and countryside, and the new mystery religions from the East. Even though the official religion in the Roman Empire began as Pagan, it ended as Christianity when Emperor Theodosius declared it as the official religion in A.D. 380. The following examines two works of fiction that deal with religion during the Roman Empire.
The Church as a whole debates many concepts that are in the Bible, in both theology and in practice. One of these debates surrounds the gifts that are spoken of in the Bible. In one corner are those who believe that charismatic gifts are alive and well in the church today. The Continuationist view believes that the gifts have continued on through Biblical times and are still relevant for today. In the other corner are those who believe that particular gifts have ceased to be used in the modern church and that they were only given for a particular reason in Biblical times. This view is called the Cessationist. Today each view, and other views in between, and the practice of the gifts in the current culture will be examined for truth, validity, and application by searching through each view and holding fast to the scripture as the final word of authority.
...what one does. God hopes that everyone lives a good, generous life. Everyone should perform actions from their hearts, because if one is forced to do something it is not love. For instance, throughout life one is taught that being there for the other or a friend is something that is out of love and is the significance of friendship. Everyone should be friends with the poor, get to know them, and lend a helping hand.
Wenham, G.J., Moyter, J.A., Carson, D.A. and France, R.T., eds. New Bible Commentary. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1998.
it can neither be labeled as a good gift or a bad gift from God; just
deserve ; nothing more, nothing less. And He told us that we have no right to steal anything from anyone else because it does not belong to us and was not meant for us.
seen as a gift from God, so therefore only he should be able to take
This enables Christians to have a direct living connection with Christ, who gives all good things to those who ask in His name. As Christ was justified in His offering for all of humanities sin, in His death on the cross. He bore the full punishment, for the first time Christ was removed from having communion with God during His crucifixion, after which time He brought the Kingdom of God to the world. Christians are accepted into the spiritual Kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit, and it is at that time they a given the gifts of the spirit to use in the service of the body of the church. To equip God’s people to do His work and to build up the church. Being in this world but not of this world is the emphasis of scripture, and it is through the experience of sanctification that Christians are set apart from this world (Gause, 2009). It is through the Holy Spirit Christians are set apart from this world and that God’s good works are seen through the body of the church. As Torrance explains the gift of the Holy Spirit is form Jesus Christ, and through communion with Christ, He gives us, His Spirit to share in His death and resurrection (Torrance, & Walker,
Swindoll, Charles R. Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Romans. Grand Rapides, MI: Zondervan, 2010.
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,”
Johnson, S. Lewis. “Studies in the Epistle to the Colossians.” Bibliotheca Sacra 118 (1961): 147.
Carson, D, & Moo, D. (2005) An introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
The goal is to continue to reveal God firstly, define salvation, also discussed, the individual coming to God. Also coming up is a very brief description of the world and the Christian population. Fifthly, a description of the diverse